VOORHEES, N.J. — The evolution of the 2013-2014 Flyers, in short form: They were losing, changed coaches and started winning, and by the time they triumphed, 6-4, over the New York Islanders Saturday they had reached a certain elite status.

Yes, they had come to the point where they could win ... and still figure they weren’t doing so in enough style.

“We have been able to come through in big moments and scratch out a victory,” Steve Mason said Sunday, after practice at the Skate Zone. “But these are not the kind of victories we want to keep having.”

Advertisement

That says something about the Flyers and where they have come since the tumult of their 0-and-3 start. As for the rest of what had to be said, that apparently was done by Craig Berube, who has grown tired of the lack of attention at the defensive end — a shortcoming that has left the Flyers behind too early, too often, to regularly in about half a season.

As if by nasty habit, the Flyers were trailing in the third period Saturday, requiring them to tie a franchise record in order to win. When Jake Voracek, Michael Raffl and Matt Read scored in the final 20 minutes to overcome a 4-3 deficit, it was the ninth time this season that they had recovered from a third-period deficit for a victory.

That’s a good thing.

No?

“Well, if we don’t change it, it is going to bite us sooner or later,” Berube said. “We talked about it today, about having a better start tomorrow.”

The Flyers won in a Saturday night game, then will play Monday afternoon at 1 against the Islanders, again, on Long Island. Just last week, Berube had said he was looking for ways to work in a moment or two of rest for his players, and that sometimes a good day of film work can be just as productive as ice time at this time of year.

Yet there were the Flyers Sunday morning, squeezing in a practice before a brief charter flight to New York — and not any casual, skate-around practice either, but one of the game-speed, work-up-a-sweat variety. Though Claude Giroux would say that there was not a particular emphasis put on defense during the workout, it was clear that Berube was demanding more jump in an effort to break the Flyers’ habit of slow starts.

“We want to make sure that we are winning games from start to finish and taking it to other teams,” Mason said, “and not having to rely on late-game heroics. We’ve got to start being a lot better.”

With the Flyers having won just two of their last five (and picking up a point in a shootout loss to Nashville), there is logic in that desire for self-improvement.

“We don’t go into every game hoping to get down a couple goals, just so we can come back,” Wayne Simmonds said. “We’ve been a little lackadaisical at the start of games, and we have to figure that out. Chief (Berube) has been talking about it a lot. The guys have been talking about it. And we have to be better at the start of games, plain and simple.

“Everybody has to be more mentally prepared. I am not saying guys are not mentally prepared, but I think you have to look at what is happening and be that much harder on yourself and to make sure you are doing the simple things right. It’s not doing anything extra. It’s just keeping it simple and playing our game.”

Berube was slightly more specific, calling for better play on breakouts and in 5-on-5 situations, and in limiting turnovers.

“Right now we are not doing that,” he said. “We are not sharp in the first period and that has to improve.”